Well, I’m not dead! In fact, three things have been occupying my time lately. I know it can get frustrating when I’m only posting Better Call Saul reviews and infrequent installments of Fight, Megaman!, but that’s really because it’s all I’ve had time to do lately.

I’ll explain those reasons right now, but if you don’t care to read them, please skip to the last one. There’s something I’d like you to do, and it’s fun. I SAID IT IS FUN.

Hail Storm: Some of you may know that a couple of weeks ago, the Denver area experienced catastrophic hail. That’s not me being dramatic (for once!); it was literally a catastrophe, doing millions of dollars of damage to homes, businesses, construction projects, and — of course — cars. It probably sounds silly if you weren’t here to experience it, but, sure enough, the hail storm totaled my car. Mine was just one claim Progressive was handling out of 11,000…due to this storm alone. So, much of my time has been taken up by dealing with the insurance company, buying a new car, and getting rid of my old one. Which was kind of sad to me, as I took really good care of that car and it had very low mileage. It deserved a better fate than that. Oh, and, buying a new car is expensive and it sucks so there’s that part, too.

Persona 5:Persona 5 came out, and what free time I have had has pretty much been spent in the company of the Phantom Thieves. I posted about this on the Facebook page as well, so if you ever think I died, check that page to be sure! I have a lot of ideas for essays I could write about it, and I’m sure tempted to, especially now that I’ve finished the game…but, then again, I never got around to writing my Persona 4 essay. Or my Persona 3 essay. Those might still happen, as might this one, but I know better than to promise it. Oh, hey, I had one brewing about Final Fantasy XV, too. I’m sure doing a lot of not-writing for a writer!

5th Annual Xmas Bash: Oh yes, it’s time! Just kidding. It’s not. December is time, and it’s not December. But I was talking to a friend about this year’s Xmas Bash, shooting ideas back and forth, and the next thing I knew, I wanted to get working on the stream. And…most of it’s done, now! I have all of our television episodes and musical interludes picked out and waiting. I still need to insert commercials and, of course, whatever unique material we shoot, but I’m excited, and I know it’s going to be a really great stream. I’ll announce details as far ahead of time as possible, so stay tuned.

And, hey, here’s something you can do for me:

Complete the Xmas Bash survey. It’s only two questions, and all you have to do is pick your five favorite specials and five favorite musical moments from past Xmas Bashes.

Well, you know, “favorites.” Not necessarily the ones you thought were best, but the ones you most enjoyed watching in a Bash context.

That’s it! It would be pretty helpful to me, as I have an idea of what I can do with the results. Again, this year’s stream is largely complete, so don’t worry about me changing anything. I’ll be using this info for something else, and I think you’ll like it.

This is your final official reminder to please, please, please (pretty please?) take the Noiseless Chatter Reader’s Survey. It’s only 10 questions, many of which are multiple choice. It shouldn’t take longer than a minute or two, and you can write as much or as little as you like.

The results I’ve gotten back so far are…exceptionally helpful, actually. So thank you to everyone who’s taken the survey already. If you haven’t taken it yet, consider setting aside a moment to do so. Your answers help me to make this site a better reading experience for everyone.

As far as updates go, April is going to be a pretty great month, I think. I have the next two (nearly three) Fight, Megaman! pieces done and just about ready to post. They still need to be edited, but the bulk of the work is done, and I look forward to sharing them. That’ll take us halfway through the series, and I’ll get a chance to talk about the less-loved (and less-often-covered) games, which is really what I’m looking forward to. I hope you enjoy.

But mainly, there’s the return of Rule of Three. That’s my comedy-movie offshoot of Trilogy of Terror, and it begins April 1. On that day and for the two weeks that follow, I’ll be taking an in-depth look at three related comedy films. Last year I did threeMuppetmovies. This year…well, you’ll have to tune in and see. But I will say that it’s one of the first trilogies I thought about doing last year. Again, I really hope you enjoy it. They’ve been a blast to write.

Also, Better Call Saul returns in April, so you’ll have those reviews to look forward to. Possibly six years from now, if history is any example.

Otherwise, I’m sure we’ll have some other, smaller posts to look forward to, but I’m excited about April. Those are six longform posts more or less in a row, and I’m proud to be able to share them with you. I always enjoy writing the Trilogy series, and based on the feedback I’ve received so far, you guys look forward to it as well.

Any guesses as to what I’ll be covering? Any comedy or horror trilogies you hope will be covered in the future?

Let me know. Take the survey. And tune in Saturday, April 1, when we’ll kick off a “big” feature.

It’s quick. I promise. Only 10 questions, many of which are multiple choice. It shouldn’t take longer than a minute or two, but if you’d like to write more, hey, write more!

I always take the results of these surveys seriously, so this is your chance to speak up about what you like, what you don’t like, what you want to see, and what you hope this site never becomes. The survey is completely anonymous, so say whatever you want, and don’t worry about anyone’s feelings.

Be open, be brutal, but above all be honest.

This particular survey is especially useful to me, as the site…has kind of a blank slate right now, really. Sure, I know the kinds of things I’d like to write about, and I’ll likely do that no matter what, but I no longer have the weekly ALF commitment ruining my life, so knowing what you like and don’t like will be a big help to me when it comes to prioritizing projects and ideas.

In short, know that this survey is important. To me, to this site, and, ultimately, to you as readers.

I don’t think anyone within my circle of friends — real life friends and online friends alike — made it out totally unscathed, but that’s what comes with surrounding yourself people who still have shreds of moral decency, I guess. The point is: we made it through the arbitrary stretch we’ll all look back on as “2016,” probably while rolling our eyes or making a sour face or something.

It was a rough year, but I don’t need to tell anybody else that. And as we look forward to one of uncertainty (unless you’re one of my readers who is already on January 1, in which case it’s probably at least a little more certain)…this blog’s future follows suit.

No, I’m not shutting it down. (TOO BAD.) But my longest, most consistent project ended this year. I have a few other balls in the air, and some ideas, but it’s going to come down to where (and when) the inspiration finds me. I don’t have a specific direction right now. I do plan on running a reader’s survey* again very soon, so I can gauge what it is you would like to see here, but…frankly, I don’t know what 2017 will bring here.

If that sounds worrying or depressed or anything else along those lines, it shouldn’t. It’s exciting. I’m going to discover what comes next right alongside you. And I do have ideas for some posts that I know I’ll enjoy writing.

But…overall…

I don’t know.

And that’s okay.

There’s a lot that we don’t know as 2017 begins.

I just want to thank you all for making my year a little bit brighter. Every comment, email, Facebook message, or anything else I get from a reader makes my day. Even when they call me names or ask for my address so they can mail me ALF puppets.

You guys are great. And I’m thankful every day that I have an audience willing to indulge me in my bottomless, neurotic nerdery.

That’s the highlight of every year.

Thank you.

Now go have fun. Okay?

—–* And please participate! I’ll have a prize or something, but, mainly, these surveys are tremendously helpful to me, and I want you to make your voice heard.

Hey. I’ll be back with my typical year-end post, but for now: Merry Christmas, if you celebrate that. If you don’t, happy December 25. Thank you for reading, and for tolerating my wallowing in literacy this holiday season.

I deeply enjoyed writing these. It was…good for me, I think. It was a chance to just write. Not to worry. Not to be anxious. Not even to think very hard. These are books (or sometimes authors) that already mean a lot to me. I knew what I wanted to say. I sat down and said it. And that helped me a lot to get back into the habit of writing…something that, to be honest, has been difficult for me lately. Having a daily commitment was good as well. Without that…I can’t imagine I’d have done much of anything.

So thank you. I needed this. I hope you got something from it as well.

If you’re interested in the full list, or just want to revisit any previous entries from my advent feature, have at it: